Preparation

Opening response

Prayer of thanksgiving

Blessed are you, God of compassion and mercy,to you be praise and glory forever.In the darkness of our sin,your light breaks forth like the dawnand your healing springs up for deliverance.As we rejoice in the gift of your saving help,sustain us with your bountiful Spiritand open our lips to sing your praise.Blessed be God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.Blessed be God forever.

Hymn

Weary of Wandering from My God

Charles Wesley

Weary of wandering from my God,And now made willing to return,I hear and bow me to the rod;For thee, not without hope, I mourn:I have an Advocate above,A friend before the throne of love.

O Jesus, full of pardoning grace,More full of grace than I of sin;Yet once again I seek thy face:Open thine arms and take me in;And freely my backslidings heal,And love the faithless sinner still.

Thou knowest the way to bring me back,My fallen spirit to restore;O, for thy truth and mercy's sake,Forgive, and bid me sin no more:The ruins of my soul repair,And make my heart a house of prayer.

The stone to flesh again convert,The veil of sin again remove;Sprinkle thy blood upon my heart,And melt it by thy dying love;This rebel heart by love subdue,And make it soft, and make it new.

Ah! give me, Lord, the tender heartThat trembles at the approach of sin;A godly fear of sin impart,Implant, and root it deep within,That I may dread thy gracious power,And never dare to offend thee more.

Confession of sin

When we cry out to the Lord in our distress,he will save us from our desperate circumstances.

God will bring us out of darknessand out of the shadow of death.

Lord, have mercy.Christ, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.

A time of silence and self-examination may be kept.

May the Father forgive usby the death of his Sonand strengthen usto live in the power of the Spiritall our days.Amen.

Let us thank the Lord for his faithful love,and his wondrous works for all people.

Let us offer thanksgiving sacrificesand declare what God has done in songs of joy.

cf Psalm 107

The Word of God

Psalm 38

Refrain:Come quickly and help me, my Lord, my salvation!

Please, Lord, don’t punish me when you are mad; don’t discipline me when you are furious.Your arrows have pierced me; your fist has come down hard on me.There’s nothing in my body that isn’t broken because of your rage; there’s no health in my bones because of my sin.My wrongdoings are stacked higher than my head; they are a weight that’s way too heavy for me.My wounds reek; they are all infected because of my stupidity.I am hunched over, completely down; I wander around all day long, sad.My insides are burning up; there’s nothing in my body that isn’t broken.I’m worn out, completely crushed; I groan because of my miserable heart.Everything I long for is laid out before you, my Lord; my sighs aren’t hidden from you.My heart pounds; my strength abandons me. Even the light of my eyes is gone.My loved ones and friends keep their distance from me in my sickness; those who were near me now stay far away.Those who want me dead lay traps; those who want me harmed utter threats, muttering lies all day long.But I’m like someone who is deaf, who can’t hear; like someone who can’t speak, whose mouth won’t open.I’ve become like a person who doesn’t hear what is being said, whose mouth has no good comeback.But I wait for you, Lord! You will answer, my Lord, my God!Because I prayed: “Don’t let them celebrate over me or exalt themselves over me when my foot slips,”because I’m very close to falling, and my pain is always with me.Yes, I confess my wrongdoing; I’m worried about my sin.But my mortal enemies are so strong; those who hate me for no reason seem countless.Those who give, repay good with evil; they oppose me for pursuing good.Don’t leave me all alone, Lord! Please, my God, don’t be far from me!Come quickly and help me, my Lord, my salvation!

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain:Come quickly and help me, my Lord, my salvation!

Psalm prayer

Almighty Lord and Savior,behold with pity the wounds of your people;do not forsake us, sinful as we are,but for the sake of the passion of yourBeloved One, Jesus,come quickly to our aid, for his mercy’s sake.

Old Testament readingDaniel 9:3-6, 17-19

I then turned my face to my Lord God, asking for an answer with prayer and pleading, and with fasting, mourning clothes, and ashes. As I prayed to the Lord my God, I made this confession:

Please, my Lord—you are the great and awesome God, the one who keeps the covenant, and truly faithful to all who love him and keep his commands: We have sinned and done wrong. We have brought guilt on ourselves and rebelled, ignoring your commands and your laws. We haven’t listened to your servants, the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our leaders, our parents, and to all the land’s people.

“But now, our God, listen to your servant’s prayer and pleas for help. Shine your face on your ruined sanctuary, for your own sake, my Lord. Open your ears, my God, and listen! Open your eyes and look at our devastation. Look at the city called by your name! We pray our prayers for help to you, not because of any righteous acts of ours but because of your great compassion. My Lord, listen! My Lord, forgive! My Lord, pay attention and act! Don’t delay! My God, do all this for your own sake, because your city and your people are called by your name.

Silence may be kept.

New Testament reading1 Timothy 6:6-19

Actually, godliness is a great source of profit when it is combined with being happy with what you already have. We didn’t bring anything into the world and so we can’t take anything out of it: we’ll be happy with food and clothing. But people who are trying to get rich fall into temptation. They are trapped by many stupid and harmful passions that plunge people into ruin and destruction. The love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. Some have wandered away from the faith and have impaled themselves with a lot of pain because they made money their goal.

But as for you, man of God, run away from all these things. Instead, pursue righteousness, holy living, faithfulness, love, endurance, and gentleness. Compete in the good fight of faith. Grab hold of eternal life—you were called to it, and you made a good confession of it in the presence of many witnesses. I command you in the presence of God, who gives life to all things, and Christ Jesus, who made the good confession when testifying before Pontius Pilate. Obey this order without fault or failure until the appearance of our Lord Jesus Christ. The timing of this appearance is revealed by God alone, who is the blessed and only master, the King of kings and Lord of lords. He alone has immortality and lives in light that no one can come near. No human being has ever seen or is able to see him. Honor and eternal power belong to him. Amen.

Tell people who are rich at this time not to become egotistical and not to place their hope on their finances, which are uncertain. Instead, they need to hope in God, who richly provides everything for our enjoyment. Tell them to do good, to be rich in the good things they do, to be generous, and to share with others. When they do these things, they will save a treasure for themselves that is a good foundation for the future. That way they can take hold of what is truly life.

Silence may be kept.

Gospel canticleThe Benedictus (The Song of Zechariah)

Refrain: Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

Bless the Lord God of Israelbecause he has come to help and has delivered his people.He has raised up a mighty savior for us in his servant David’s house,just as he said through the mouths of his holy prophets long ago.He has brought salvation from our enemiesand from the power of all those who hate us.He has shown the mercy promised to our ancestors,and remembered his holy covenant,the solemn pledge he made to our ancestor Abraham.He has granted that we would be rescuedfrom the power of our enemiesso that we could serve him without fear,in holiness and righteousness in God’s eyes,for as long as we live.You, child, will be called a prophet of the Most High,for you will go before the Lord to prepare his way.You will tell his people how to be savedthrough the forgiveness of their sins.Because of our God’s deep compassion,the dawn from heaven will break upon us,to give light to those who are sitting in darknessand in the shadow of death,to guide us on the path of peace.”

Luke 1:68-79

Glory to the Father and to the Sonand to the Holy Spirit;as it was in the beginning is nowand will be forever. Amen.

Refrain: Happy are people who are hungry and thirsty for righteousness, because they will be fed until they are full.

Brief silence.

The Apostle’s Creed

Let us unite in this historic confession of the Christian faith:

I believe in God, the Father Almighty,creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord,who was conceived by the Holy Spirit,born of the Virgin Mary,suffered under Pontius Pilate,was crucified, died, and was buried;he descended to the dead.On the third day he rose again;he ascended into heaven,is seated at the right hand of the Father,and will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit,the holy catholic church,the communion of saints,the forgiveness of sins,the resurrection of the body,and the life everlasting. Amen.

Prayers

Intercession and thanksgiving

Prayers are offeredfor the day and its tasksfor the world and its needsfor the Church and her life

Response

In faith we prayWe pray to you, our God.

Silence may be kept.

Collect of the day

Almighty and everlasting God,you hate nothing that you have madeand forgive the sins of all those who are penitent:create and make in us new and contrite heartsthat we, worthily lamenting our sinsand acknowledging our wretchedness,may receive from you, the God of all mercy,perfect remission and forgiveness;through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,who is alive and reigns with you,in the unity of the Holy Spirit,one God, now and forever. Amen.

The Lord’s Prayer

Trusting in the compassion of God,as our Savior taught us, so we pray

Our Father in heaven,hallowed be your name,your kingdom come,your will be done,on earth as in heaven.Give us today our daily bread.Forgive us our sinsas we forgive those who sin against us.Lead us not into temptationbut deliver us from evil.For the kingdom, the power,and the glory are yoursnow and forever.Amen.